A Hard Road Ch. 18
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable in this story. Nor am I making a profit from it.
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Time passed by quickly and before John knew it, it was time for Dean's first day of school. He had enrolled him the previous week because he couldn't afford to have Child Services after him for keeping his son from getting a proper education. That wasn't his only reason for sending Dean to school though, Mary was a firm believer in schooling and had planned for the boys to have a college education before they had ever been born. They had even started a college fund for each child on the day that they were born and John had added a hundred dollars to the account each month up until the time that Mary had died. Now that money was just sitting in their accounts drawing interest until he needed it or until the boys went to grad school.
John woke Dean up early to make sure he ate a good breakfast and then he helped Dean get dressed and ready for school before waking up Sammy. He quickly hoisted Sammy up into his arms and carried him to the bathroom and sat him on the potty. Sammy had been potty trained for a few weeks now but was still prone to accidents first thing in the morning. After Sammy had finished his business, John carried his youngest down the stairs with Dean trailing behind him. He noticed that Dean seemed a little nervous and he hoped those nerves would pass before they got to the school. "Grab your backpack champ" John said to Dean as he opened the door. The backpack contained the school supplies that John thought his oldest might need such as pencils, crayon, paper and glue.
"Daddy, do I have to go?" Dean questioned with a slight tremor to his voice. He really, really hated the idea of being away from his family even if it was only for a few hours like his daddy had said. "I won't know anybody there and Sammy might need me. What'll he do while I'm gone and who will take care of him?"
"Sammy will be fine Dean. I'll be right here with him so you don't have to worry and yes, you do have to go" John said as he ruffled Dean's hair. He knew that Dean was scared and it was at times like this that he really missed Mary. Mary would have known what to say and do to make Dean feel better.
"But Daddy…"
"I'm sorry Dean, but you have to go to school bud, there's nothing I can do about it" John said with a touch of regret in his voice as they walked towards the Impala. He buckled Sammy into his car seat as Dean sat down beside him and snapped himself in with the seatbelt. It hurt John to see the pout on Dean's face as his child sat in silence. It was going to be a long drive to the school.
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As John pulled up into the parking lot of the school yard, he surveyed the immediate surroundings to check for any possible dangers. He was happy to see that most of the playground equipment looked fairly new and that there were adults outside supervising the children as they arrived. It made him feel better knowing that Dean would be well looked after. Climbing out of the car, he opened the backdoor and unbuckled Sammy from his car seat. As he hoisted his youngest in his arms, he noticed that Dean had yet to make a move. "Come on kiddo, it's time to go meet your teacher" he said as he gave an encouraging smile to his oldest.
"Please, can't we just come back tomorrow?" Dean said pleadingly using his best sad face trying to break his dad's will.
"No can do sport" John said as he reached in to unbuckle Dean's seat belt. He watched as Dean climbed begrudgingly from the car. He took Dean by the hand and adjusted Sammy on his hip then led them up the steps and into the building. After finding out where Dean's room was, he walked him down the hallway and into room number five.
"Good Morning, My name is Mrs. Shuman and who is this sweet young man?" she asked as she bent down to get on Dean's eye level only too watch him scoot around to hide behind his daddy' legs.
"Sorry about that, he's not used to being around so many people" John apologized with a tight smile. He didn't like being around crowds himself.
"That's quite alright" Mrs. Shuman replied. "Starting school can be very scary for a young child" she said as she watched Dean follow his daddy's instructions. She felt sad for the little boy as she saw the tears glistening in his eyes. She watched as John bent down to comfort his little boy before kissing him on the forehead and telling him he'd be back later to pick him up
"Don't worry Mr. Winchester, we'll take good care of Dean" Mrs. Shuman said remembering having seen Dean's name on her class roster. She then took Dean by the hand and started walking him into the room to show him where to put his things as his father and younger brother left. As John turned and walked away, he was startled by the piercing scream coming from his youngest.
"No De, want De" Sammy screamed as he realized that Dean wasn't coming with them. "Daddy, me want De" he wailed as huge tears started trailing down his plump baby cheeks. John held tightly as Sammy started squirming trying to get down.
"Shh, it's okay baby" he said as he rubbed Sammy's back trying to soothe his youngest. "We'll be back to pick Dean up in a little while, I promise."
"No, down, want De" Sammy pleaded as he looked at John with his sad puppy dog expression while beating on his chest with his tiny little fists. "De, De, help" he screamed at the top of his voice as John tried his best to calm him down.
John looked up to see Dean come racing out of his classroom with Mrs. Shuman following closely behind. "Sammy, Sammy" he hollered as he launched himself at his daddy's legs and then reached up for his baby brother. By now, both boys were crying and it was breaking John's heart in two. He gently knelt down and placed a shaking Sammy in Dean's arms to see his youngest wrap his arms around Dean's neck like he would never let go again. He was amazed to see Dean quickly calm Sammy as he rocked him back and forth softly saying "I gotcha Sammy, I gotcha, don't cry."
John choked back a sob as he felt a huge lump forming in his throat. How in the world could he in all good conscious separate these boys from each other. It was obvious that Sammy needed his big brother just from the desperate cries his youngest had wailed. He hated to think how much his boys were hurting right now. He soon sensed the teacher watching them and knew he needed to explain his boys behavior.
"They've never been separated from each other before" John explained to Dean's teacher never taking his eyes off of his boys. He was seriously considering taking his boys back home and trying this another time when they were more ready for it.
Seeing that Dean's father was struggling and about to give in, Mrs. Shuman said "Why don't you and Sammy come into the room for a little while Mr. Winchester. I'm sure it would make the boys feel better and give them a chance to get used to the idea of being separated." John smiled at Dean's teacher as he gratefully accepted her offer even though he didn't think it would work.
Approximately two hours later, John left the room with a sleeping Sammy in his arms. They had had a busy morning as they sat through an art lesson where the teacher had asked the students to draw a picture of their family. It had nearly broke his heart when he saw the picture that Dean had drawn. The three of them were standing beside a car with Mary sitting on a cloud and looking down at them. He noticed that Dean had drawn a set of angel wings on her back.
Later, he sat through centers were Sammy had been allowed to play with Dean as he played in the block area. He watched as a few of the other boys had joined in to play but Dean just shied away from them and only played with Sammy. After the teacher had called cleanup time, the children were encouraged to join her on the class rug for story time. It was then that Sammy had finally fallen asleep as he listened to the story allowing him to say goodbye to his oldest and leave the room.
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As John walked outside the school building, he found himself unable to leave. He walked over and sat down on the hood of the Impala as he cradled Sammy to his shoulder. He would quietly wait until noon when he could go back in and pick Dean up. He soon heard the bell that signaled recess and saw children coming outside to play. He searched for his oldest and finally found him sitting under a tree by himself. Dean looked so lonely that he decided to hell with it, he was going to pick up his son and take him back home. They would try school again next year.
Just as he started walking towards the building, he saw two little boys walk over and sit beside Dean. One of the boys was smaller than Dean and had curly brown hair. He had on faded blue jeans and a striped blue shirt. The other was a blonde much like Dean, except for he was a little more chubby and he didn't have any freckles. John held his breath as he waited to see what his oldest would do. Finally after a few minutes of coaxing, Dean got up and went over to play on the monkey bars with them. John sighed in relief as he finally saw a smile on Dean's face. Maybe his oldest would be okay.
As noon finally rolled around, John walked back into the school building to pick Dean up while holding a still sleeping Sammy. "How'd it go Champ?" he asked as Dean came running up to him carrying his Transformers backpack.
"Okay I guess. I made some friends" Dean replied as he waved goodbye and turned to follow his dad out of the building. He couldn't wait to get home and play with Sammy. His friends were nice, but Sammy was way cooler than them.
"Glad to hear it" John said as he ruffled Dean's hair. He would feel better about bring Dean to school in the morning knowing that Dean had somebody to play with. He just hoped that Bobby would be willing to keep an eye on Sammy to make the separation easier on the boys. He didn't think he could handle another morning like the one he had already had.
On the way back to Bobby's place, Sammy had woken up and was in a chatting mood. John listened in quietly as Dean told Sammy all about the day he had had. He felt immense pride as Dean talked to Sammy about how he was so much cooler than his new friends Mikey and Todd. Dean was very close to his baby brother and John knew that bond would only grow over time. He would make sure of it.
TBC I will most likely make small jumps in time now as the boys grow and John becomes more involved in hunting.